Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Benoit Pouliot, right, is productive in limited minutes while defenseman Victor Hedman is having a breakthrough season on defense. / Robert Mayer, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

The season turns one month old on Tuesday. USA TODAY Sports hockey columnist Kevin Allen offers his take on the noteworthy performers:

Most surprising team: Anaheim Ducks. The preseason perception was that they would be battling for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference. Instead, they are among the league's highest-scoring teams and are in the mix for the President's Trophy.

Top goalie: Ottawa Senators' Craig Anderson. It took nine games this season before any opponent managed as many as three goals against him. He has a .948 save percentage and 1.65 goals-against average.

Hart Trophy: Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane. He's the best performer on the league's best team.

Heart Trophy: Detroit Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg was named as Nicklas Lidstrom's replacement as captain and he has produced one of the best starts of his career. The Red Wings might be trouble right now if not for Zetterberg's gritty two-way play.

Top GM in the East: Carolina Hurricances' Jim Rutherford. He traded for Jordan Staal and signed Alexander Semin to improve his top six forwards. It has paid off with Carolina occupying the top spot in the Southeast Division.

Top GM in the West: Anaheim's Bob Murray. Every move he made last summer, signing Viktor Fasth, Sheldon Souray and Daniel Winnik, has paid off handsomely.

Most surprising rookie: Tampa Bay's Cory Conacher. Never drafted, Conacher has five goals and eight assists for 13 points in his first 14 NHL games.

Top defenseman: Ottawa's Erik Karlsson was top the blue-liner before suffering an Achilles injury that will sideline him for three to four months. With him out, the race is wide open.

Most productive senior citizen: At 42, Anaheim's Teemu Selanne is Anaheim's top point producer and ranks 21st in the NHL scoring race. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau hid Selanne's skates recently in an attempt to get him to skip a practice. Selanne found an old pair and went onto the ice.

Coach of the month: Anaheim's Boudreau has squeezed every ounce of ability out of Anaheim's team in every game. They love playing for the guy with the potty mouth and old-school charm.

Most impressive start: The Blackhawks have been dynamic offensively, improved defensively and Corey Crawford has been strong and confident in net.

Best team defensive play: Nashville. The Predators can strangle the life out of any offense in the league. There seems to be no room on the ice when they play against teams. Opponents aren't even averaging two goals a game against the Predators.

Most productive 12-minute player: Toronto's Matt Frattin has seven goals and three assists in 10 games, and he averages 12:53 of playing time per game. He gets the edge over Tampa Bay's Benoit Pouliot, who has five goals and 10 points averaging 12:38 of playing time.

Top unsung hero: Chicago's Johnny Oduya averages about 22 minutes per game and is plus-10 in 15 games for a Chicago team that has allowed nearly a goal less per game than it did last season. He's been solid since the Blackhawks acquired him.

Top breakthrough candidate on defense: Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman has four goals, four assists and is plus-10 in 14 games. He's starting to look like a beast at both ends of the ice.

Most disappointing team: The Philadelphia Flyers were expected to be a contender in the East, and they have struggled much of the season. The Kings and Washington Capitals were in contention for the disappointment label, but both teams have been winning of late. The Flyers, who hoped to start a turnaround with a 7-0 road blowout of the New York Islanders, are 3-8 on the road and haven't been sharp defensively.